
Welcome!
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My name is Heather. I am a mom to two teenagers, wife to my high school sweetheart, an emergency physician, photographer, and author—roles that have shaped the way I see the world and the way I photograph it. Years spent in the emergency department have given me a front-row seat to life in its most raw and vulnerable moments. That experience has taught me to slow down and recognize the beauty and meaning in the quiet, ordinary scenes that make up our everyday lives.
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My work is rooted in documentary photography. I’m not interested in perfectly posed images—I’m drawn to the real ones: the laughter in the kitchen, the chaos of getting out the door, the quiet connection between people who love each other, or the camaraderie of health care workers as we care for the sickest in our community. These are the moments that tell the truest stories in life.
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My work in emergency medicine has also given me a deep respect for photographing people in sensitive and meaningful environments. Whether I’m working in a professional or hospital setting, a home, or during an emotionally significant moment, I approach each session with the same care I bring to my work as a physician: with attentiveness, respect, and compassion. I understand how to move gently through spaces where trust matters, and how to document moments without interrupting them.
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When I photograph families, healthcare workers or everyday life, my goal is simple—to create images that feel authentic and honest, warm, and deeply human. I want you to look back at your photographs years from now and recognize not just how life looked, but how it felt. Above all, I want the experience to feel easy, natural, and safe. Just come as you are. I’ll take care of the rest.
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Heather
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PUBLICATIONS
Shadows and Light: A Physician's Lens on COVID 2022
The Faces of Perserverence In Our Childrens Hospitals: Globe and Mail 2022​
Alone and Afraid: Alberta's Third Wave in Photos: MacLeans​ 2021
Year One: The Untold Story of the Pandemic: MacLeans 2021​
AWARDS
Photo Essay and Photojournalism, Honourable Mention - National Magazine Awards, June 2022
​Award for Medical Journalism - Canadian Association of Emergency Medicine, May 2022
Monochrome Photography Awards - Honourable Mention 2022
Praxis Gallery International Motion and Blur Exhibit - Director's Choice 2022
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MEDIA
Dec 7, 2022 | The Globe and Mail
The faces of perseverance in our children's hospitals
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Oct 4, 2022 | CBC Radio - The Current
How one ER doctor photographed the intimate moments of critical care
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Sept 17, 2022 | Global News Calgary
Calgary physician documents COVID-19 through photography
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Sept 15, 2022 | CBC News - The Homestretch
Calgary doctor's new book captures photos of health-care workers, patients during pandemic
Sept 14, 2022, 2022 | The Calgary Herald
Calgary ER doctor's photography book captures COVID-19 in city hospitals
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Sept 13, 2022 | CBC News Calgary
Calgary emergency room physician releases book documenting the pandemic through photos
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July 15, 2021 | Alberta Medical Association
Calgary Physician-Photographer Documents Frontline COVID Response
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June 11, 2021 | College of Physicians and Surgeons of Alberta
Images from the Pandemic Front Lines
June 1, 2021 | Maclean's Magazine
Alone and Afraid: Alberta's Third Wave in Photos
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May 8, 2021 | CTV News Channel
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May 1, 2021 | City News Calgary, Edmonton, Toronto
Rare photographs reflect fight against COVID-19
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April 23, 2021 | 770 News Radio
PhotoDoc: An Interview with Dr. Heather Patterson
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April 23, 2021 | CTV Calgary
Photography of pandemic depicts exhaustion, tragedy inside Calgary's Foothills Hospital
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Mar 22, 2021 | Maclean's Magazine
Year One: The untold story of the pandemic p.44-45
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Mar 18, 2021 | Calgary Herald
'Speaks to the strength of our team': How Calgary's health-care workers managed one year of the pandemic
Mar 8, 2021 | Calgary Herald
​The pandemic shows how far women have come and how far they have left to go
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Jan 18, 2021 | CBC The National
Doctor turned documentarian​​
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Jan 18, 2021 | Global Calgary
Calgary ER doctor takes sabbatical to photograph colleagues on COVID-19 front lines
Jan 15, 2021 | CTV Calgary
Photos from inside Calgary COVID-19 wards
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Jan 15, 2021 | COVID Kindness, Canadian Medical Association
ER doctor captures humanity and hope through hospital photography project
Jan 14, 2021 | CBC Calgary
Calgary ER doctor captures life on the frontlines of pandemic through photography project​​​
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Jan 14, 2021 | CBC Calgary Radio
How a Calgary emergency room doctor is chronicling the COVID-19 pandemic with her camera